Nnedi Okorafor

Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian-American author of science fiction and fantasy known as a leading figure in Afrofuturism. She won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel for Who Fears Death (2011). Her work draws on Nigerian culture, mythology, and folklore to create vibrant speculative worlds. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Nigerian parents, Okorafor earned a PhD in literature from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Who Fears Death, set in a post-apocalyptic Africa, is one of the foundational texts of contemporary Afrofuturism and is being adapted for HBO. She has also won the Hugo Award (for the Binti novellas), the Nebula Award, and many other honors. Her other works include Zahrah the Windseeker, Akata Witch, Lagoon, and the Noor novels. She is a professor of creative writing and lives in the Chicago area.